Joy not hate for rainbow event
Pride Picnic set to return to Taupō
It’s a community event and it’s designed for everybody, from your 2-year-old to your grandma. Organiser Toni Neve
Taupō will host its second Pride Picnic this weekend, and organisers say it will be even bigger and better than last year’s. The family-friendly event will take place in Tongariro Domain on Saturday from 11am to 4pm, with market stalls, food vendors, entertainment and a children’s area.
Organiser Toni Neve said after last year’s successful event, the group of individuals overseeing it had become an incorporated trust to allow them to continue running the picnic independently of the council or other organisations.
“Fifteen hundred to 2000 people came through, so it was a no-brainer, we had to make it an annual event.
“It’s a community event and it’s designed for everybody, from your 2-year-old to your grandma.”
Neve said the core event was the same — a free, LGBTQIA+-friendly, bring-your-own picnic event with entertainers including singers; however, there would be a stage extension and more performances this year, as well as the new children’s zone with face painters and stilt walkers, and a teen hangout area.
Local and national sponsors were keen to get involved, said Neve, with companies such as Pak’nSave Taupō and Contact Energy supporting the picnic.
There would also be an over-18s party event at Cornerstone from 8pm, hosted by drag queens who include Taupō resident Tiara Dior.
Neve said both events were important opportunities for the rainbow and wider communities to come together in a safe space and have fun, particularly at a time when LGBTQIA + people were being used in some quarters as a hot-button political issue.
“There’s members of our community that are targeted right now and feel vulnerable.
“We need to hold these events for people who feel alone.
“It creates a space where our younger generation can find each other ... A sense of community for everyone, not just our rainbow community, but a sense of belonging for everyone.”
However, there had been some backlash from a small but vocal group, including hateful comments online and people ripping down posters advertising the event.
As hurtful as these actions were, Neve said, the organisers had opted not to focus on them.
“We did prepare our team for this last year just in case it did come about, and our approach was to not comment on the negative so it didn’t get any momentum.
“The response has been ‘small minds are not a problem’.”
Neve said it was buoying to see that when nasty comments were made online, other members of the public usually stepped in to defend the event.
Overall, she said, the Taupō community had “wrapped around” its rainbow members to ensure the event was supported.